Abrazo to launch 2 new residency programs to address doctor shortage

PHOENIX — Abrazo Community Health Network will launch two new medical residency programs this summer in an effort to address the country’s doctor shortage.

“There is a known fact that there is a physician shortage in the United States, especially with the … retirement of the Baby Boomer generation, where more needs for access to medical care are being foreseen,” Dr. Akil Loli, designated institutional official for Abrazo, told KTAR News 92.3 FM last week.

“Based on this, as well as on the resources that we have within the Abrazo system, a strategic decision was made a few years ago to pursue expansion of the graduate medical education for the Abrazo system.”

There will be a total of 45 spots for an internal medicine program and 15 spots for a general surgery program, both over the course of multiple years.

Loli said candidates have already been chosen for this summer’s programs, but applications will reopen this fall for the next cycle.

The Abrazo Arrowhead Campus in Glendale will serve as the primary site for both programs, but training will occur in various Abrazo properties, including the Abrazo Arizona Heart Hosptial and the Abrazo West Campus.

The health care network has operated a family medicine residency program since 1978, graduating a total of nearly 260 physicians.

“There is a large need for physicians to take care of the aging population as well as to take care of well-being of general populace as well,” Loli said.

“And we believe that training in a community setting provides better access and more exposure to diverse diseases and common situations in medical professions that they are going to encounter later on in their career.”

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Nailea Leon contributed to this report.